House Theia
House Theia was, according to their ancient histories, an independent faction that consulted and spread their wisdom far, to anyone who would listen. No one is quite sure when this changed. Some scholars claimed it was a hostile takeover from another House, bending the pacifist Oracles to their wills. Others claimed that the archivists, running bare and unable to maintain the property, needed a way to generate enough income to survive. No matter what happened, the effect was the same: Theia began to offer their Oracles as advisors and counsel, for a cost. The Oracles’ powers were proven by their repeated success, and each House willingly paid for their own Oracle to read the stars and foretell what lay ahead. Over time, the Oracles began to struggle to read the wind and sky as efficiently - or perhaps the demand for an Oracle led the archivists and leaders to train and sell children who had not mastered the Sight. Some Sights became as vague as ‘trouble ahead’, or ‘strike now’. Others became completely fabricated by Oracles desperate to maintain their position. This came to ahead when one unlucky Oracle told an elaborate lie, presenting it as the Sight. The House of Hikmat, tax collectors and accountants, presented the Oracle to his masters of Theia, laying out the facts clearly. Theia provided Hikmat with another Oracle, free of charge. To the accountants, it was merely a replacement of a faulty product. To the Oracles, it was proof of their waning power. They began to teach their students caution, and fear. The birth of Diana changed that. The child with the silvery hair predicted several events to the people around her - the death of her parents, her ensuing poverty, a foul wind leading to a ship never returning, a catastrophic storm. The adults around her thought it the wild fantasies of a child. By the time each tale came true, the Oracles of Theia came for Diana, now on the streets. They trained her to read the sky and world around her, although the girl hardly needed guidance. No Oracle today can measure up to Diana. She is the most powerful Seer in recent history, and perhaps in all of the time the Free Cities have stood. Theia, still fearing further retribution from the House of Hikmat, and still more afraid that harm would befall the girl that proved their Sight was true, made an alliance with a powerful Blood Caste family. Theia is reliant on their Blood Caste allies for protection, their Sea Caste allies for ships to take them out to new perspectives, and their Sand Caste allies to provide them shelter and manage their financial day to day. They rely so much on the reputation of their House to enable their relationships and maintain their power. Diana is the key to their modern reputation remaining intact. The House of Theia must manage what’s best for the city, their clients, maintain their lives, and advance the City States. It is a delicate balance at the best of times, but Theia may be approaching war. House Niven, furious at their lost daughter, beat their Oracle bloody for his inability to find their heir. They demanded Theia’s help, presenting the bloodied body of their fellow as evidence of wrongs. Theia retracted all services, and Niven is one of the few Houses without an Oracle. The situation is rapidly escalating to war. The disgraced House Byrne, considered cursed by their fellows, are seeking the blessing of Oracles to restore their reputation. Theia will not give their blessing, and tensions increase by the day. It does not take an Oracle to tell that there are troubled times ahead for House Theia, and the girl with the silver-white hair may not be enough to ward them off.